Millions of readers have come to adore New York Times best-selling author Sophie Kinsella’s irrepressible heroine. Meet Becky Bloomwood, America’s favorite shopaholic – a young woman with a big heart, big dreams…and just one little weakness.

Becky has a fabulous flat in London's trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season's must-haves. The only trouble is that she can't actually afford it–not any of it.

Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. And lately Becky's been chased by dismal letters from the bank –letters with large red sums she can't bear to read–and they're getting ever harder to ignore.

She tries cutting back. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky's only consolation is to buy herself something ... just a little something....

Finally a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life–and the lives of those around her–forever.

Sophie Kinsella has brilliantly tapped into our collective consumer conscience to deliver a novel of our times–and a heroine who grows stronger every time she weakens. Becky's hilarious schemes to pay back her debts are as endearing as they are desperate. Her "confessions" are the perfect pick-me-up when life is hanging in the (bank) balance.

Product Description

From Amazon

If you've ever paid off one credit card with another, thrown out a bill before opening it, or convinced yourself that buying at a two-for-one sale is like making money, then this silly, appealing novel is for you. In the opening pages of Confessions of a Shopaholic, recent college graduate Rebecca Bloomwood is offered a hefty line of credit by a London bank. Within a few months, Sophie Kinsella's heroine has exceeded the limits of this generous offer, and begins furtively to scan her credit-card bills at work, certain that she couldn't have spent the reported sums.

In theory anyway, the world of finance shouldn't be a mystery to Rebecca, since she writes for a magazine called Successful Saving. Struggling with her spendthrift impulses, she tries to heed the advice of an expert and appreciate life's cheaper pleasures: parks, museums, and so forth. Yet her first Saturday at the Victoria and Albert Museum strikes her as a waste. Why? There's not a price tag in sight.

It kind of takes the fun out of it, doesn't it? You wander round, just looking at things, and it all gets a bit boring after a while. Whereas if they put price tags on, you'd be far more interested. In fact, I think all museums should put prices on their exhibits. You'd look at a silver chalice or a marble statue or the Mona Lisa or whatever, and admire it for its beauty and historical importance and everything--and then you'd reach for the price tag and gasp, "Hey, look how much this one is!" It would really liven things up.

Eventually, Rebecca's uncontrollable shopping and her "imaginative" solutions to her debt attract the attention not only of her bank manager but of handsome Luke Brandon--a multimillionaire PR representative for a finance group frequently covered in Successful Saving. Unlike her opposite number in Bridget Jones's Diary, however, Rebecca actually seems too scattered and spacey to reel in such a successful man. Maybe it's her Denny and George scarf. In any case, Kinsella's debut makes excellent fantasy reading for the long stretches between white sales and appliance specials. --Regina Marler--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Add this aptly titled piffle to the ranks of pink-covered girl-centric fiction that has come sailing out of England over the last two years. At age 25, Rebecca Bloomwood has everything she wants. Or does she? Can her career as a financial journalist, a fab flat and a closet full of designer clothes lessen the blow of the dunning letters from credit card companies and banks that have been arriving too quickly to be contained by the drawer in which Rebecca hides them? Although her romantic entanglements tend toward the superficial, there is that wonderful Luke Brandon of Brandon Communications: handsome, intelligent, the 31st-richest bachelor according to Harper's and actually possessed of a personality that is more substance than style. Too bad that Rebecca blows it whenever their paths cross. Will Rebecca learn to stop shopping before she loses everything worthwhile? When faced with the opportunity to do good for others and impress Luke, will she finally measure up? Rebecca is so unremittingly shallow and Luke is so wonderful that readers may find themselves rooting for the heroine not to get the manAalthough, since Shakespeare's time, there's rarely been any doubt concerning how romantic comedies will end. There's a certain degree of madcap fun with some of Rebecca's creative untruths; when she persuades her parents that a bank manager is a stalker, some very amusing situations ensue. Still, this is familiar stuff, and Rebecca is the kind of unrepentant spender who will make readers, save those who share her disorder in the worst way, pity the poor bill collector. (Feb. 13) Forecast: This is a well-designed book, with a catchy magenta spine, and a colorful and kinetic double coverAwhich will attract many browsers. Major ad/promo, including national NPR sponsorships, will enhance sales, despite the novel's flaws. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.

Most helpful customer reviews

I had the book for a long time before I actually sat down on Friday to read it... and I couldn't let go (except for a quick shopping trip on Saturday ;) I was finished by Sunday right before dinner time! It had me laughing out loud, smiling and cringing at the thought that I can be so like Becky sometimes... many times... It is an enjoyable book. Great summer reading, fun and relaxing with the fairy tale parts very well inter-twined with the rest of the story. I could not stop laughing when I read about the job interview with the Bank of Helsinki! but the entire book is entertaining and cute. I love its fashion sense too!

Its been ages since I've read any chick-lit but when I found this book in a box of "free stuff" left at the mail boxes (ironic hey, its about overspending and I find it for free) Anyways I grabbed it (along with some other useless crap) and immediately started chuckling.

Reminding me very much of Bridget Jones's Diary, this was an equally fun read, that had me LOL more then once at the antics, irrational decisions and downward spiral of a shopaholic who, oh yeah also just happens to be a financial journalist. Here Becky Bloomwood counts $$ like Bridget counts calories; binging with shopping sprees, going on cost cutting diets, avoiding the shops, scheming about how to make more money (because she can`t possibly spend less and just HAS to have that new white coat)

Becky is an irresistible heroine but she generally makes a mess of things and it was super fun watching her make bad decisions as she fumbles through her job at Successful Savings, shopping away her lunch hours while trying to avoid her bank managers calls.

Speaking of which her over stimulated Visa card almost becomes a character of its own here, and her bank manager eventually does with the inclusion of hilarious letters from Endwich Bank and the ever inventive ways Becky finds to not pay her Visa bill or in most cases ever even receive it.

Ah yes, there's also romance, intrigue, adventures in Indian cooking, unsuccessful part time jobs, a stalker(?) best friends, copious amounts of champagne drinking and a fantastic ending that will leave you smiling. This is an all around feel good book that reminded me why every once in a while some chick lit is a fabulous thing and best of all this was free...

And let's face it we've all been there with the credit card bills which we tend to ignore as soon as that excited feeling hits us upon first entering a store.

This, is no literature. This is probably not even something that one should read if they're looking for a story that provokes some kind of thinking, or at least with a heavier plot, more serious characters, and a more realistic outlook on life in general. Because really, this is kind of like a fairytale for the modern day girl, complete with romance and shopping. (who wouldn't love that? As an escape novel though...

...It defiantely deserves an A+! Becky Bloomwood is just probably the most adorable and "naive" narrator that I've came across for awhile; she makes the most serious situations stupid and plain funny, like saying that she'll just let her Visa bill be "accidently" vaccumed away so that she wouldn't have to pay the bill. (considering that she never "got" it) Also her justifications for her excessive shopping, as well as her general outlook on life, are hilarious to the point where you'd be laughing and crying at the same time.

This book has humour, fun, and Becky just sounds like your best friend. She's an awesome person to be the princess in a fairy tale, but do allow some skepticm for her events. (Like how...well, I won't spoil it for you, but you'll know. Some stuff that happpened to the VERY lucky girl, just won't happen in real life, no matter how you wish it) Still, probably because of all her quirky flaws and warm approach to everything, is what most readers love about her. The girl that we'd always wanted to be, but could never be unless we were living in a different world. (Or you're actually a gillionaire...but again, that's fanciful wishing, right?Read more ›

I can't say how many times I've read this book and still managed to burst out laughing.Becky Bloomwood is in some serious debt, and some serious denial about that niggling crush she has on Luke Brandon, head of his own PR firm for financial businesses, Brandon Communications. She's on Successful Saving as a journalist, but does she really have any success with savings? As a shopaholic, the answer is a flat out no.In many ways, Becky is like a child in the way she is self draw intuitively to pleasure and always has some kind of comment like, "And it wasn't really like I was on the regime," and constantly making excuses for herself. She continually thinks up of reasons (glandular fever, broken leg, dead dog, dead aunt) not to schedule a meeting with Erica Parnell, her bank manager's assistant. And then she discovers something really dishy and writes for the Daily World and that all results in a slot on Morning Coffee, in which she advises the world about money. To think she would do that!And when you think it's all over... there's still the rest of the series to read! If you don't know anything about designers, you will after reading this book, which of course you're gonna buy because it's just so good!